


Felis Rufus

by DangerousCommieSubversive



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Comfort, Depression, M/M, Shapeshifting, Zoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 05:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DangerousCommieSubversive/pseuds/DangerousCommieSubversive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy and Teddy go to the zoo, and Billy is delighted by the scientific name of the bobcat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Felis Rufus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ardatli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardatli/gifts).



 “Oh my god,” Billy says. “Ohhhhh my god. It’s so fluffy. It’s  _so fluffy._ ”

Teddy snorts. “Seriously, babe, how can you have  _never_  been to the  _zoo_ before?”

Billy grins apologetically at him. “Mom and Dad don’t approve of them? They don’t like seeing animals in captivity. They like aquariums ok because science, but they don’t like zoos.”

The moon bear they’re watching rolls onto its back and yawns massively, then starts scratching its stomach with one paw.

“I bet I could teleport myself in there and give it a hug. It’s so  _fluffy._ ”

Teddy’s eyes go wide. “ _I_  think it’s about time we moved on to the next enclosure.”

“But—”

“No.”

“But  _bears._ ”

“No, Bee. No bears.”

“But—”

Teddy hauls him away.

Billy also has to be dragged away from the red pandas, the Pallas cats, and the lorikeet room, although with the lorikeets it’s also a problem of getting  _them_  away from  _him_ , since he keeps refilling his cup of nectar up with magic. Then, at the reptile house, they find a Brazilian python and spend ten minutes arguing about whether or not to reenact the scene from the first Harry Potter book, until they notice one of the zookeepers giving them the stink-eye and make a hasty exit. The only other person who overhears them is a seven-year-old looking at the chameleons, and he looks positively disappointed in the lack of giant snakes being let loose on an unsuspecting populace.

And then they get to the bobcat enclosure and Billy says, “Oh my god, Tee.”

“Aren’t they  _great?_ ” Teddy’s practically hanging over the railing. “When I was nine Mom saved up a ton of money and we went to Yellowstone on a camping trip and one night a bobcat seriously  _walked through our camp._  I  _love_  bobcats.”

“That’s  _so cool._  But also. Babe. Look.” Billy points to the card attached to the railing. “Check out the Latin name.”

Teddy reads it over and blinks. “ _Felis rufus?_ ”

“They’re  _Teddy_  cats.”

“Oh my god they  _are._ ”

“I’m gonna steal one.”

“I—what?  _No._  No. You’re  _not going to steal a bobcat,_  we  _don’t need a bobcat._ ”

–

Teddy has to  _drag_  Billy out of the zoo, which takes some effort, but Billy finally gives in when Teddy suggests going to a noodle place in Chinatown and gorging themselves. They get home from the restaurant groaning, their stomachs filled with soup and noodles and chicken.

As Teddy’s setting up  _The Princess Bride_  for the evening’s viewing, Billy says, wistfully, “I still say you should have let me steal a bobcat. It’d be nice to have a pet.”

“We’ll get a cat, Bee. A normal-sized one. Aren’t witches supposed to have black cats, anyway?”

“Hey, I can branch out. I could be a witch with a bobcat. It’d be awesome.” Billy leans against the couch cushions and shuts his eyes, a happy smile on his face. But after a moment the smile fades a little, and he says, “Although I guess I probably wouldn’t be too good at having a pet. I’m too much of a flake.”

It gets  _very quiet._

He doesn’t notice for a moment, because the DVD’s starting up and the menu music is distracting, but then he feels the couch cushions dip beside him and something  _heavy_  presses down on his thigh.

“…Teddy?”

He opens his eyes.

There’s a  _massive_  bobcat sitting on the couch with him, its front paws folded primly on Billy’s lap. When he stares at it, it purrs loudly and rubs its head against his chest.

“Teddy…?”

The purring gets louder, and then the Teddy-cat rolls over on its back, pressing its head into his thigh as it presents its stomach for scratches.

“Oh my god. A Teddy cat.” Billy grins, rubbing Teddy’s stomach vigorously as the tinkly sound of a baseball video game heralds the start of the movie.

Teddy purrs.


End file.
